Points of Failure (was Re: National infrastructure asset) (fwd)

Tue Sep 25 21:30:10 UTC 2001

Unnamed Administration sources reported that George William Herbert said:

> Let's look at the "worst credible case" though, jet aircraft.
> Nuclear reactor domes are rated to survive jumbo jet hits.

Better check this one out; there is considerable dispute
of late on this very point.. A F4 !=747 after all.

> Jet aircraft are remarkably poor penetrators, in military terminal
> ballistics terms.  Ten feet of good reinforced concrete, at
> $400/cu yd or so installed, will do the job nicely, though there
> may be some spalling inside the aircraft won't penetrate.  For a 3
> story, 120,000 sq ft 200x200x30 ft building that would be about
> $9.3 million, about $77.70/ft^2.  

No help. You'll have intact but long since roasted into
atoms building, hardware and employees. How many KWH of heat
from the 57,285 gallons of kerosene?

> Not that I'm recommending every telco facility be hardened to
> resist a direct jumbo jet hit.  But it's not that ridiculous
> a task, and lesser hardening (half or 1/3 that level) would be
> downright reasonable compared to the other costs of making these
> sorts of buildings for these roles.  A 2 foot thick reinforced
> concrete wall, for example, might well be extremely reasonable.

But every n of wall thinkness is f(n^2) less interior space;
f(n^3) more cost to build, and f(n^8) more crap from local
pols who really want retail space downtown instead of tombs.

> There are many many angles to all of this.

And who will pay?

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